finding a sense of place

One Moment of Sheer Joy

A couple years ago I was anticipating the beautiful fall colors. I love the way a perfect blue autumn sky makes the colors pop. I was hoping to get away for a few days to bask in the beauty of the season. But, due to weather and circumstances things didn’t go as planned.

A few days after the colors had peaked, I realized that I hadn’t really taken the time to stop and enjoy God’s artistry. I lamented that I had not been able to make my annual fall trip to the mountains. But God, in that way He has, had a reminder in store for me!

One day while coming home from the other side of town, we accidentally made a wrong turn and ended up in Cherokee Park (for some reason that triangle confuses us). If you end up in Cherokee Park on your way to somewhere else, getting out takes time. You have to follow the path and wind around the hills and trees to get back where you started. On this detour, we came across an exceptionally beautiful grove of golden trees with a path winding between them. It was breathtaking, and even though many trees had shed most of their leaves, this stand of trees were still clothed in fall splendor.

I realized that I don’t need to go to the mountains or plan trips to enjoy Autumn, I just need to look in my own back yard to see the glories of God revealed. And I don’t need days to bask; all it takes is one well-timed moment – a gift from God.

Moment by moment living is really what we are called to do! The moment we are in, is all we have. The past is gone and we can’t change the things we’ve said or done; we can only allow forgiveness and make amends. Beyond that, we have to let it go; it no longer belongs to us.

Likewise, the future too does not belong to us; it belongs to God. To speculate about it can become such an obsession that we forget to live now. Now is all we have. In this moment we need to acknowledge the sovereignty of God and rest in His provision.

If we can just grasp how wonderful the moments are, we really don’t need more. This moment we have been given is well timed and it is a gift from God. Stop, right now, in this moment to savor the sheer joy and to thank God. Ask Him to “instruct you and show you the way to go.” Who knows, He may send you on an unexpected detour that will change your perspective and renew your life!

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4 thoughts on “One Moment of Sheer Joy”

Teresa, I can relate to your comments about Cherokee Park and also Southern Seminary. I, too, can get lost in Cherokee Park; but the autumn foliage colors are absolutely stunning as are your photographs! I was a student on the Southern Baptist Seminary campus at one point of my life but not as a seminary student. I am a graduate of Kentucky Southern College whose assets and liabilities were assumed by the University of Louisville a few years after I received my B.A. degree. The beginning classes of KSC were on the Seminary campus while our campus on Shelbyville Road was being built. God’s glory of Nature is on display at Southern Seminary, also.